Yomiuri Reports, Citing Sources: "Ri Yong-ho Executed"
News of 4-5 Foreign Ministry Officials Executed in Succession
Taeyongho: "If True, Elite Class Will Be Unsettled"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] News has emerged that former North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, known as a 'U.S. expert,' appears to have been executed last year. Executions of high-ranking officials have been rare since Kim Jong-un came to power. Tae Yong-ho, a member of the People Power Party who worked with former Foreign Minister Ri, expressed concern, saying, "If the execution news is true, it means the position of the negotiation faction within the Kim Jong-un regime has become even narrower."
On the 4th, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun cited multiple sources familiar with North Korean internal affairs and reported that former Foreign Minister Ri was executed last year. The specific timing was said to be "from last summer to around autumn."
Yomiuri Shimbun added that 4 to 5 officials from the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs were executed consecutively around the time of Ri's purge. Several individuals, including former Foreign Minister Ri, are reported to have experience working at the North Korean embassy in the United Kingdom. This has led to speculation that matters related to the North Korean embassy in the UK may have been a background factor in the executions. This embassy also drew international attention in 2016 when Tae Yong-ho, then charg? d'affaires, defected to South Korea.
Former Foreign Minister Ri is regarded as a 'U.S. expert' who served as North Korea's ambassador to the UK and as the chief representative for North Korea in the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear program. He assisted Chairman Kim Jong-un closely during the second North Korea-U.S. summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 2019, and when the Hanoi talks collapsed, he held an unexpected press conference locally to announce North Korea's position.
After the 'Hanoi no deal,' his position was actually strengthened. As the pro-South Korea line led by Kim Yong-chol, then head of the United Front Department who led negotiations with the U.S., stepped down, the traditional diplomatic line including former Foreign Minister Ri took charge of overall diplomacy with the U.S. Later, at the North Korea-Russia summit held in Vladivostok, Russia, in April 2019, he was granted special trust, even riding in Chairman Kim's limousine. However, he was suddenly dismissed at the end of that year during the plenary meeting of the Workers' Party Central Committee. Since then, his name has not been mentioned in North Korea.
An official from the Ministry of Unification stated regarding the report of Ri's execution, "It is true that he has not been reported in North Korean media since April 2020, but the fact of execution or other details have not yet been confirmed."
Former Colleague Tae Yong-ho: "If True, It Will Shake the Elite"
In a statement on the same day, Representative Tae said, "If the execution rumor of Ri Yong-ho is true, it is shocking," adding, "Ri Yong-ho was regarded among North Korean diplomats as a loyal yet rational negotiator and a capable figure within the Kim Jong-un regime." He worked with former Foreign Minister Ri in the UK from 2004 to 2007.
According to Representative Tae, Ri Yong-ho's father, Ri Myong-je, was once the chief of the 3rd floor secretariat and had close ties with Kim Jong-un's biological mother Ko Yong-hui, having cared for Kim Jong-un since childhood.
Executions of high-ranking officials have been rare recently in North Korea, which has passed its 10th year under Kim Jong-un's rule. Although Kim initially consolidated power through ruthless executions, since then he has maintained discipline through demotions or 'rotational personnel changes.'
Representative Tae emphasized, "Confirming the truth of the execution rumor of Ri Yong-ho should be the top priority," but also predicted, "If the executions of Ri Yong-ho and his colleagues are true, it will deepen unrest among the elite." He particularly noted, "It means the position of the negotiation faction within the Kim Jong-un regime has become even narrower," stressing the need to supplement North Korea strategy.
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